Reports on the meeting between President Biden and Xi Jinping indicate scant progress on issues that have brought the USA and China to the brink of conflict, according to The Guardian.
President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have concluded their first face-to-face talks in a year. Joe Biden stated that his high-level meeting with Xi Jinping made significant progress. However, it is clear that after more than four hours of negotiations, this meeting did not bring the countries closer to solving the problems that have exacerbated US-China relations.
Here is a brief report on the meeting:
Exchange of Courtesies
Xi told Biden that China does not seek to ‘surpass or overthrow the United States,’ and emphasized that the US should not make plans to suppress or contain China. ‘China will not follow the old path of colonization and plunder, nor will it take the wrong path of hegemony when the country becomes strong. But China’s development will not be stopped by external forces’ — said the head of the PRC.
Xi Jinping also warned Washington that Beijing is dissatisfied with sanctions and other measures against its companies. ‘The US actions against China in terms of export control, investment screening, and unilateral sanctions seriously harm China’s legitimate interests,’ Xi Jinping declared. ‘Suppressing Chinese science and technology limits China’s qualitative development and deprives the Chinese people of their right to development,’ said the head of the PRC.»
Xi Jinping also called the partnership between the US and China ‘the most important bilateral relations in the world’ and stated that he and Joe Biden ‘bear a heavy responsibility for both peoples, for the world, and for history.’
Biden emphasized the value of personal conversation, telling Xi, ‘There is no substitute for personal discussions.’ Biden also said, ‘We must ensure that competition does not escalate into conflict’ and that both countries ‘must also manage it responsibly… and work together when we see that it is in our interests.’
Russia, Taiwan, and Sanctions
‘The American side must… stop arming Taiwan and support the peaceful reunification of China. China will achieve reunification, and it cannot be stopped,’ the Chinese leader said.
Later, at a press conference, Biden stated that he does not expect interference from the Chinese government in Taiwan’s elections. However, he noted that the US will continue to arm Taiwan as a deterrent against any attempts to use force to reunify the self-governing island with the mainland.
The US President also spoke about the need for measures to settle two local wars. He called on Xi to use his influence to try to calm global tensions, particularly to try to pressure Iran not to escalate the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Biden also demanded that Xi continue to refrain from military support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A US official said that Biden spoke most on this issue, while Xi mainly listened, in turn touching on another sensitive issue that was left without comment from Biden.
Xi Jinping demanded the lifting of sanctions and a change in the policy of controlling the export of high-tech equipment. ‘Suppressing China’s technological progress is nothing but an attempt to restrain China’s high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development. The development and growth of China, driven by its own logic, will not be stopped by external forces,’ said Xi.
What Was Agreed Upon
Regarding high-level communication — Biden said, ‘We have agreed that each of us can make a direct phone call, and it will be heard immediately.’
About establishing communication between the militaries — this means that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will talk with his Chinese counterpart as soon as someone is appointed to that position. Similar direct meetings will occur throughout the military chain of command.
On cooperation in the fight against climate change — both countries are ready to take on commitments to make a ‘holistic economic’ nationally determined contribution with respect to all greenhouse gases, not just CO2. Xi Jinping agreed to help limit the traffic of illegal fentanyl, which is a lethal component of drugs sold in the United States.
Also, the leaders of the two countries agreed to organize joint governmental talks on the use of artificial intelligence, and committed to work on increasing regular passenger flights between their countries next year. Joe Biden somewhat marred the overall impression of the first steps towards improving US-China relations. At his closing press conference, responding to a journalist’s question, the US president said that he still views Xi as a dictator. ‘Look, he is,’ said the president. ‘He’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a man who runs a country that is a communist country, based on a form of government completely different from ours.'»
